PAUL RYAN BANDWAGON BUILDS --Wall Street Journal lead editorial, “Why Not Paul Ryan? Romney can win a big election over big issues. He’ll lose a small one”: “Against the advice of every Beltway bedwetter, he has put entitlement reform at the center of the public agenda—before it becomes a crisis that requires savage cuts. And he has done so as part of a larger vision that stresses tax reform for faster growth, spending restraint to prevent a Greek-like budget fate, and a Jack Kemp-like belief in opportunity for all. He represents the GOP's new generation of reformers that includes such Governors as Louisiana's Bobby Jindal and New Jersey's Chris Christie. As important, Mr. Ryan can make his case in a reasonable and unthreatening way. He doesn't get mad, or at least he doesn't show it. Like Reagan, he has a basic cheerfulness and Midwestern equanimity.”

--Rich Lowry, editor of National Review, writing on POLITICO: “Overly safe is its own risk … Ryan would inject a jolt of energy into the campaign and reorient the debate around policy. The Romney campaign doesn’t have to be reckless. It does have to have a pulse. It doesn’t have to commit ideological hari-kari. It does have to have an unmistakable substantive content. At times over the past few months, it has seemed that the Romney campaign has embarked on audacious experiment to see if it’s possible to run a presidential campaign devoid of real interest. With the choice of Ryan, that would change in an instant.” http://politi.co/N9su75

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MARK HALPERIN, in the forthcoming TIME: “The two campaigns would rather not discuss tough issues like the deficit, so they need distractions. Senior strategists in both camps are veterans of scorched-earth election victories, and they don’t believe voters are turned off by negative ads. … Twitter, … super PACs … [have] removed many practical and moral restraints; most everything now, even spouses, is considered fair game. …

“[A] fight over anything but the weak economy benefits Obama … But the Republicans think Obama’s personal likability has been able to protect his favorability ratings … , and they hope he will dirty his good name by mud wrestling.”

FIRST LOOK -- Resurgent Republic memo from Whit Ayres and Luke Frans, "2012 Voter Enthusiasm Favors Republicans": "Republican-leaning voting blocs are more enthusiastic to vote this November, which could be the deciding factor in a turnout election. As we head into the final campaign stretch, President Obama faces the unwelcoming reality that he must close the voter enthusiasm gap and improve his performance among key voting subgroups if he is to be successful in his bid for reelection. When looking at those voters who say they are extremely enthusiastic to vote in the presidential election, Republicans hold a double-digit advantage over Democrats, 62 to 49 percent, and the subgroups most likely to support Governor Romney register higher enthusiasm than those backing President Obama.

"Reliable Republican demographics, such as Protestants, Evangelicals, and white men, score above the median rate of those who are extremely enthusiastic to turnout and far out pace several traditional Democratic voting groups, including Hispanic voters, unmarried, and young voters (18-to-29-year-olds). African-American voters are the exception among Obama supporters and register enthusiasm on par with Republicans. The higher enthusiasm among Republicans overall will help shrink the traditional Democratic identification advantage on Election Day, which stood at seven points during the 2008 wave election. As a result, national polling with a Democratic voter edge greater than the 2008 margin should be viewed with skepticism."

COMING ATTRACTIONS – N.Y. Times A14, “Many Clamor for Convention Roles, but More Are Out Than In,” by Jeremy W. Peters in Tampa: “Newt Gingrich hoped to get a coveted speaking slot at the Republican National Convention. Instead the Romney campaign will have him teach a series of workshops they have nicknamed Newt University. Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain are not scheduled to speak, either. They have decided to stage their own mini-convention of sorts — calling it a ‘unity rally’to dispel any doubts about their party loyalty — at a megachurch about 20 minutes outside town. Gov. Rick Perry of Texas is trying to be a good sport about getting passed over for a speech. …

“Though neither [Donald Trump nor Sarah Palin] has been formally named to speak yet, convention planners are still considering adding both to the schedule. … With ABC, CBS and NBC expected to provide only an hour of prime-time coverage each night of the convention, planners said the need to keep the program tight and on schedule was a more important consideration than the hurt feelings that might arise from excluding someone.” http://nyti.ms/N9f1fF

--“Obama to blanket Tampa airwaves during GOP convention,” by POLITICO Pro’s Steve Friess and Katie Glueck: “Obama’s team plunked down more than $181,000 in ad time on Tampa-area network affiliates for the last week of August … Obama for America will air more than 160 spots on shows as varied as ‘Dr. Phil,’ ‘Undercover Boss’ and ‘Bachelor Pad’ … The Obama ad buys are set all day and into the night, from spending up to $4,500 per ad on ‘America’s Got Talent’ to spots on ‘Rachael Ray’ … and the fantasy show ‘Grimm’ — all in addition to morning and evening news buys. … The Obama campaign … doesn't have anything approaching the Tampa buys in other large Florida markets …

“[I]t does not appear the Romney campaign has reserved similar space in Charlotte for the following week when the Democrats convene there to renominate Obama, according to filings by Charlotte network affiliates. … [G]roups aligned with Romney have already bought ad time there. Both Americans for Prosperity and American Crossroads … have September purchases in the Charlotte market that include the Sept. 4-7 period of the Democratic National Convention.”

LIVE @ 8:30 A.M. -- “POLITICO Live: Driving the Day,” livestreaming on POLITICO.com; simulcast on NewsChannel 8: Jonathan Allen stops by our HD set with word of stealth conversations between Treasury and senators; “The Buzz in the Bubble”: We’ll take calls from Donovan Slack with the president in Colorado, and Ginger Gibson with the Romney campaign in New York City; Glenn Thrush pops in with a behind-the-scenes look at the Obama campaign’s worries about money; scoop machine Jake Sherman goes inside Paul Ryan’s inner circle; and Juana Summers describes the veep beat: the odd mission of preparing to cover someone -- when you don’t know who it is. www.politico.com/livestream #POLITICOLive

** A message from Hyundai: Through our success, Hyundai has contributed more than 94,000 jobs all over the U.S. in the areas of manufacturing, engineering, research and development, and sales, including supplier-related, indirect and spin-off jobs. At Hyundai, we’re creating something even better than some of the best cars on the road – American jobs. Log on to www.HyundaiAmerica.us to learn more about how we’re a proud partner in the American Dream. **

STORY OF THE DAY -- “The disappearing undecided voter,” by Reid J. Epstein: “Internal and public polls consistently show far fewer undecided voters than four years ago … [F]ire-up-the-base thinking informs all aspects of the campaigns, from Obama’s tax-the-rich rhetoric and decision to tap liberal champion Elizabeth Warren for a plum speaking spot at the Democratic National Convention to Romney’s recent embrace of tea party heroes Ted Cruz and Richard Mourdock and the hawkishness he touted on his trip to Israel last month. … Gallup’s daily tracking poll shows the number of undecided voters hovering between 6 percent and 8 percent — compared with 11 percent at this point in 2008. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll put the percentage of undecided voters at 3 percent, down from 12 percent in late July 2008. A Pew survey found 5 percent didn’t know who they’d vote for, half of the number at this point in 2008.

“One Obama campaign aide said the team uses the president’s events not as a mechanism to win new supporters but more as a way to energize the ones they already have. … Romney’s pollster, Neil Newhouse, said … the smaller universe of undecided voters already has reached a conclusion on Obama but has yet to do so on Romney. … Jeff Jones, Gallup’s managing editor, said the … barrage of negative advertising … has led voters to make up their minds earlier. This year’s August figures are similar to where the 2008 undecided numbers were by mid-October … Pete Snyder, the chairman of the GOP’s Virginia Victory operation, pegged the real undecided figure in his state at as low as 2 percent. …

“The self-polarization is visible at the president’s events, where crowds by design are far smaller than during his 2008 campaign. There are few who aren’t planning to vote for him — the question is whether and how much they will volunteer for Obama’s effort. Obama was introduced at his Wednesday campaign rally in Denver by Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown student insulted by Rush Limbaugh in February after she appeared at a House hearing about birth control. Obama’s advance team packed the crowd with women who cheered loudly through Fluke’s remarks and Obama’s defense of his health care law. … ‘Even if it’s 2 percent or 3 percent or 7 percent, that still is enough undecided voters and soft supporters of the opponent to decide the election,’ [the Obama campaign’s Jen] Psaki said.” http://politi.co/NpyxPO

TOP TALKER – “July in US was hottest ever in history books,” by AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein: “Federal scientists say July was the hottest month ever recorded in the Lower 48 states, breaking a record set during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. … The U.S. this year keeps setting records for weather extremes, based on the precise calculations that include drought, heavy rainfall, unusual temperatures, and storms. The average temperature last month was 77.6 degrees. That breaks the old record from July 1936 by 0.2 degree, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Records go back to 1895. …

“Last month also was 3.3 degrees warmer than the 20th century average for July. Thirty-two states had months that were among their 10 warmest Julys, but only one, Virginia, had the hottest July on record. … The first seven months of 2012 were the warmest on record for the nation. And August 2011 through July this year was the warmest 12-month period on record, just beating out the July 2011-June 2012 time period. … Drought is a major player … The coolest July on record was in 1915. The coldest month in U.S. history was January 1979 with an average temperature of 22.6 degrees.” http://yhoo.it/N93v3I

** A message from Hyundai: Through our success, Hyundai has contributed more than 94,000 jobs all over the U.S. in the areas of manufacturing, engineering, research and development, and sales, including supplier-related, indirect and spin-off jobs. At Hyundai, we’re creating something even better than some of the best cars on the road – American jobs. Log on to www.HyundaiAmerica.us to learn more about how we’re a proud partner in the American Dream. **

****** A message from JPMorgan Chase & Co.: Investing in America The American economy powers the world, but our tax system is holding us back. A 2017 EY report found that reforming the tax system could have brought an additional $195 billion of foreign direct investment into the United States, an increase of 14 percent. That investment can help companies expand, explore new strategies and grow. What does that mean for America? It can help jumpstart our economy, make our country stronger in an increasingly competitive world, and can mean more jobs and higher wages for the American workers. Learn more about what tax reform can mean for our country: http://politi.co/2ghszvf ******

About The Author

Mike Allen is the chief White House correspondent for POLITICO. He comes to us from Time magazine where he was their White House correspondent. Prior to that, Allen spent six years at The Washington Post, where he covered President Bush's first term, Capitol Hill, campaign finance, and the Bush, Gore and Bradley campaigns of 2000. Before turning to national politics, he covered schools and local governments in rural counties outside Fredericksburg, Va., for The Free Lance-Star, then wrote about Doug Wilder, Oliver North, Chuck Robb and the Bobbitts for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, where he nurtured police sources on overnight ride-alongs through housing projects. Allen also covered Mayor Giuliani, the Connecticut statehouse and the wacky rich of Greenwich for The New York Times. Before moving to The Times, he did stints in the Richmond and Alexandria bureaus of The Washington Post. Allen grew up in Orange County, Calif., and has a B.A. from Washington and Lee University, where he majored in politics and journalism.